A Batter of Life and Death (30 page)

She handed me the neatly tied package of flowers and box of containers. “Can you get this okay? I can walk it down for you.”

“No, that’s not necessary. I’m fine.” I started toward the door.

“Juliet,” she said softly.

I paused.

“Has Thomas spoken to you?”

“About what?”

She shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to keep you from your work. Go ahead.”

I hesitated.

“Go. Go. We can talk another time.”

She smiled, but behind it there was a sadness. I wanted to ask more, but could tell that she was resigned not to say more.

Sterling and Andy were loading Mom’s car when I returned. They’d blocked a space in front of Torte on Main Street with two large buckets.

“Hey, boss!” Andy stacked a tub of desserts in the back. “We’re almost done. What do you want us to do next?”

“Get in!” I laughed. “How are you guys getting to Lance’s? Do you need a ride?”

“Nope.” Andy flipped his baseball cap backward. “I’ve got a sweet ride tonight. Borrowing my mom’s minivan. We’re all going to ride out together.”

“Great. If this is everything, Mom and I can take it from here. We’ll meet you out there to unload.” I continued inside. Stephanie had finished frosting the cake with French buttercream. I was impressed. Her lines were smooth and seamless. I cut the stems from the roses and grape vine, filled the miniature vases with water and positioned them on each tier.

I stood back after I finished to appraise my work.

“That is truly a work of art,” Mom said, coming into the kitchen with her arms full of clean Torte aprons and dishtowels.

“Not too shabby, is it?”

“Honey, I think you might win. Especially if the cake tastes as good as it looks. And I know it will.”

“We’ll see. Fingers crossed. That cash would be nice.”

“Are you ready for our next adventure?” Mom dangled her car keys. “It’s showtime!”

“Too soon, Mom. Too soon.”

Chapter Thirty-eight

Lance’s party was a smashing success. The evening couldn’t have been more beautiful. Lance had transformed his garden into something fit for Shakespeare’s stage. Tea lights hung in glass jars from the branches of trees, dotting the sky like flickering fireflies. Golden-colored twinkle lights had been strung from an arbor and three canvas tents had been erected throughout the grounds. Musicians played in one of them, which was draped with greenery and fruit as it would have been in Shakespeare’s time.

Tables with giant candelabras, ornate floral displays, and bottles of wine were arranged throughout the grass. Andy, Stephanie, and Sterling circulated with trays of appetizers. Mom and I set up the dinner buffet in one tent. Lance had hired an event planner who provided all the dishes and serving trays. As a bonus they were responsible for cleanup too.

People snaked through the buffet line helping themselves to servings of our pasta, bread, and salad. Mom and I stood behind the table in our crisp Torte outfits, making sure each serving dish was constantly refilled.

Once everyone had been through the buffet, Mom and the rest of our little team dismantled it and replaced it with a tower of desserts.

“Sounds like people are lovin’ the food, Mrs. C,” Andy said, sliding an empty tray under the skirted buffet table.

“I hope so.” Mom beamed. “You guys are doing so great. I’m proud of all of you.”

Sterling tried to wrap a tattooed arm around Stephanie’s shoulder. “You’re not going to believe this. Even Stephanie has been smiling out there.”

Stephanie threw his arm off, but Sterling was right. She looked lighter and happier than I’d seen her in a while. She left with two carafes of coffee. I pulled Sterling aside. “Is everything okay with you two?”

He watched her walk away. “I don’t know. She’s been acting weird for a while.” His voice cracked a little. “Love sucks, you know.”

“I know,” I said, placing my hand on his sleeve.

“You do, don’t you?” He turned to me. His blue eyes looked especially bright.

I wanted to say more, but Lance tripped into the tent. He held a wine glass in his hand and leaned in to kiss both Mom and me on the cheeks. “Wonderful, darlings. Absolutely wonderful job. You’re catering all of my events from here on out. Understood?” His words slurred slightly as he spoke.

Mom nudged me under the table. Her face gave away her joy. She practically glowed.

Lance took a sip from his empty glass. “This is no good. I’m off to find another bottle of vino. Lovely work, ladies. I’ll be in touch. Ta-ta.”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Mom squealed and hugged me.

“He liked it.”

“I hate to say it, but I told you so.”

Mom bumped my hip. “You know what this means?”

“Maybe we can save up for more ovens?”

She shook her head, untied her apron, and rested her hands on the table. “I was thinking it’s going to be a lot more work to try and run the bakeshop and a catering business. I don’t know about you, but I’m beat.”

“More work is always a good problem to have.” I tried to untie my apron with one hand. Mom finished undoing it for me. “Especially in this town.”

“You’re right, honey, but let’s call in the kids, get this packed up and hit the road.”

Mom chattered all the way to my apartment about what a success the event had been and how much fun she had being out of the shop. I hadn’t thought about how tied she’d been to Torte for all these years. Getting out and doing events in the community was going to be good for both of us.

I practically fell up the stairs and was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. The next morning I felt surprisingly refreshed and eager for the final day of
Take the Cake.

Sterling and Andy delivered my cake to the set. Nina’s and Sebastian’s cakes looked equally impressive. Nina had opted for a vegan chocolate torte with a white and dark chocolate ganache. Sebastian created a tiered sponge cake with fresh berries and a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar over the top.

The theater felt cool. I wasn’t sure if it was because the heat hadn’t been cranked on, or because of my nerves.

Nina wrapped her arms around her chest and rubbed them. “Is it freezing in here, or is it just me?”

“It’s freezing,” I agreed.

Chef Antonio took a bite of my cake. I held my breath. He closed his eyes as he considered the taste. Then he took another bite. Was that a good sign? I couldn’t believe how nervous I was. From the way Nina bounced her foot on the floor, I guessed she was feeling the pressure too.

The other judges deliberately took their time sampling and savoring our desserts. Sebastian sighed audibly twice. It was as if they were considering each morsel on the plate in front of them.

After they finished tasting they made marks on their score sheets for design, aesthetic appeal, and technique.

“Can they just get it over with already?” Nina chomped her fingernails. “It’s like they’re intentionally trying to drag this out as long as they can.”

“I think that’s sort of the idea,” I whispered. “It makes for good television.”

“But it’s going to give me an ulcer.” She grimaced.

Chef Antonio cleared his throat and pushed up from his chair. He had a commanding stage presence. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I am to announce the winner of
Take the Cake
.”

The room went silent. The tension was palpable. Who was going to win? Honestly, I had no idea.

“We were fortunate to have three incredible pastry chefs in the final competition. The judges and I would like to applaud you for your creations.” Chef Antonio clapped his hands and gave us each a small bow.

The other judges smiled and clapped politely.

“Now it is time to crown our winner.” Chef Antonio gave us each one final nod and pulled a piece of paper from his chef’s coat. “The winner of
Take the Cake
is…” He paused for dramatic effect.

My heart rate sped up.

“Nina!” Chef Antonio announced. Confetti and balloons rained from the ceiling.

Nina gave me a look of disbelief and a quick hug before jumping on stage to claim her moment in the spotlight.

I felt happy for her. I knew the money would help save her bakeshop. I hoped that now she would have confidence in her vegan pastries too.

There were hugs and laughter as we all congratulated Nina. The judges had wonderful things to say about my pastries. After a celebratory round of champagne, the crew began to break down the set.

Sebastian caught me on the way out. “Thank you for not saying anything. If you make it up to Portland, stop by. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”

What a wacky week it had been. A French chef who wasn’t French. A vegan chef who used butter, and then of course Marco’s murder and Elliot’s subsequent arrest.

I watched as Chef Antonio handed Nina a check for twenty-five thousand dollars and wrapped a
Take the Cake
winner apron around her waist. As much as I would have liked the extra cash for Torte, I was glad to see her win. After the success of Lance’s party last night, I knew that we could secure many more catering gigs in the future. Plus, I wouldn’t have wanted all the other things that came along with winning the show—like magazine interviews, talk shows, and most importantly having to leave Ashland to film in L.A. For the moment I was happy with my mostly quiet life in Ashland. Really happy.

Recipes

Bavarian Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2½ cups flour

8 oz. bittersweet dark chocolate

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

Frosting:

½ cup butter

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Cake

In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons of butter and dark chocolate. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Alternate adding flour and sour cream until all ingredients are combined.

Pour into two 8-inch round pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30–40 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Slice cakes into 4 equal layers. Assemble with chocolate cream cheese frosting (below).

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Remove butter and cream cheese from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Whip together with vanilla in an electric mixer. Sift in chocolate and powdered sugar. Spread thin between layers, reserving enough frosting to cover the cake. Dust with powdered sugar, or drizzle entire cake with melted dark chocolate.

Amaretto Dream Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur

1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon anise extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2¼ cups flour

½ cup sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups dark chocolate chunks

1 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Beat butter and sugars together until creamy. Add in eggs, amaretto, vanilla, almond, and anise. Mix together until blended. Sift dry ingredients in a separate bowl; add to butter mixture and mix on low. Stir in chocolate, coconut, and almonds by hand.

Scoop 1-inch balls onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Futter

Nina’s vegan futter can be used as a butter substitute, and is delicious spread on toast.

Ingredients:

1 cup of coconut oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon canola oil

½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon turmeric

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together in a glass mixing bowl. Add ice and water to a larger bowl and place the bowl with the futter mixture in it. Keep whisking the futter until it turns opaque in color. Be sure not to get any water in the mixture. Once the futter is opaque store in an airtight container. Do not refrigerate.

Torte Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pound beef cut for stew

6 whole tomatoes

4 stalks of celery

1 large onion

3 cloves garlic

1 can black beans, drained

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

¼ cup dark beer (Mom uses a chocolate stout)

1 cup beef stock

¼ cup molasses

2 heaping tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

A bunch of fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Olive oil

Directions: